Time After Time
by suliel
Summary: Going back in time and saving the world, now Cloud is forced to face another challenge - after all said and done, he needs to adjust to his new place in life and new realtionships; even one he never would have imagined to have. CloudxSephiroth, slash, explicitness in later chapters.
1. First, Dance

**Hi dear readers! I'm back with a new story, and this time it's a Sephiroth/Cloud slash! First I need to state some background info which is super useful to know what happens here. **

**This story was inspired by Sinnatious's The Fifth Act, more precisely a sidestory they did to it (available on their LJ page, go and read it cause it's awesome). Go read The Fifth Act if you haven't yet, anyway. It isn't necessary for understanding my fic but who wouldn't want to read such a gem? :D BTW I got permission because Sinnatious is nice like that :)**

**For those who haven't read yet, my story takes place in a time-travel fic where Cloud goes back in time to save the day, and it's set after everything is said and done, and he starts a new life kinda-sorta in Shinra. The focus is entirely on the relationship between Sephiroth and Cloud. **I don't plan getting into the throwing over Shinra from the inside storyline, not that I wouldn't love that, but that's for another time; neither their everything life. It will be a loose string of scenes of their interactions with each other, and the developement of their relationship. It will contain explicit sexual scenes too. ****

****Updates unfortunately will be very sparse as it's a pet project for me to do when I want to write it, I have no draft or schedule for it. I hope you still be interested in it! Orz****

****The Beta is still the wonderful Bjanik who I own an eternal gratitude.****

****Special thanks to White Mage Koorii for helping me out with the title! :)****

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**1\. First, dance**

First, they were enemies.

At least in his head they were, for the longest time. He feared him. He hated him for all he did, for all the sins he hadn't yet committed but _would_. Then he saw him, and felt sympathy for the man he was, and felt guilt. He was committed to do anything needed, though. To save _everyone_, he hadn't thought himself capable of that. But he had done the unimaginable and changed the past, changed it completely, and so changed their future.

And so it happened they became friends. For a while, it was hard, strange, awkward even. He couldn't help the instinctive flinch of his hand – reaching for his sword – when Sephiroth startled him. Couldn't help the increasing of his heartbeat when he suddenly ran into Sephiroth. It always left him feeling slightly ashamed and apologetic as he felt that he should have done a better job sorting out his messed up timelines. _This_ Sephiroth wasn't a threat. He mumbled a half-audible sorry every time and Sephiroth just watched, nodded, looking completely indifferent. It made Cloud wonder on several occasions just how did the man think about the other, _the original_, events? Sephiroth himself admitted once that he found that outcome plausible under different circumstances. That made Cloud both amazed and extremely uncomfortable. How did one come to terms with the possibility of going insane and trying to destroy the world? Even with the original triggers eliminated, did he not fear himself? Where did that trust come from? Maybe that was just him, feeling himself still a threat. Or Cloud was thinking too deep into things again; it wouldn't be the first time either.

It didn't help his instinctive reactions to Sephiroth's presence though. When the same thing happened the umpteenth time, to Cloud's visible perplexity, Sephiroth just made a small "hmmph" sound and rolled his eyes. Besides making him think that maybe Sephiroth accepted all the strangeness of his life rather easily – (or was it resignation?); it also made Cloud quite stupefied. Sephiroth, rolling his eyes at him? That wasn't adding up with the image he had in his mind even with all the new adjustments he had done.

The easiest part definitely was becoming sparring partners. They were nearly equal in strength without using limit breaks, but both of them tried very hard to be cautious with that. Their limits were way too lethal to use in friendly spars, and if one of them forgot himself in the heat of the battle, the other immediately stepped away. Sephiroth learned the hard way the result of rivalry, even if it didn't end in tragedy _now_. As for Cloud, every time he forgot he wasn't fighting for his life – which happened quite a few times at the beginning, - he was pulled out of it by seeing the _human, sane_ expression on Sephiroth's face. Every time it was a little stitch to the fabric of his torn timelines, a thread to hold himself in the present and separate the other past further and further away from him. He didn't speak about how knowing for sure that he could overpower the other should the need arise made him feel safe, though. On the other hand, he had no idea how Sephiroth felt about not being the strongest. Did it affect his pride? Did it matter to him at all? While Cloud was certainly piqued to know, that wasn't a question he could have said out loud, ever.

During their spars he soon realized how liberating it was to find someone equally strong. It never occurred to him before how much he felt he had to protect everyone. It never was a burden to him; it was a need, to never lose anybody again. But Sephiroth, he didn't need protection. They were on equal standing, an unfamiliar feeling which soon proved to be quite addictive.

Then there was the connection, too. No matter how much Cloud didn't want to admit it, didn't even want to think about it, their Jenova-cells provided a link between them at a cellular level. As it was an issue they needed to address, after the crisis was over and things settled, they did some careful experimenting with it. Taking every precaution they could think of, they probed the connection, slowly, warily, to try its limits. It was unsettling and hard as hell to allow even the tiniest bit of Sephiroth near his mind (_inside_, he gritted his teeth, inside his mind); but in the long run it reassured him. Apparently, without the effect of Sephiroth immersing in a pool of mako and merging with Jenova's head in the process, the cells served only a general connection. A compass, as Zack once jokingly said. On rare occasions, in intense emotional states it happened that a flash of foreign emotions washed over them. But that was nowhere near the oppression of being controlled that Cloud perfectly remembered in his nightmares. He wasn't a puppet anymore and with Jenova destroyed, this man could never be the puppet master again. He was finally safe, and finding it out was even worth the irritating feeling of Sephiroth's presence in his mind.

But then there was the attraction too, and that left Cloud strangely vexed. It was a long time before he admitted at least to himself that what he was feeling was indeed physical attraction. It was easy to miss it first, to attribute to the thrill of battle the deeper breaths, the heat increasing in his stomach, the blood surging in his veins. Same as with the alertness, the focus on the other which made everything besides Sephiroth blur colorless into the background. But after their sparring sessions ended and they stood with lowered swords and slightly flushed from hours of exercise, relaxed and refreshed at the same time, he couldn't write off the strange pull he felt, the inclination to step closer, closer until he could feel on his skin, could breath in the heat and presence of the man,_ and what a presence he had_. He found himself absentmindedly tracing Sephiroth's jawline with his eyes, his hand almost, _almost _lifting on its own to touch. He sucked in a deep breath and turned his back then; confusion raging in him. How could he be attracted to _Sephiroth _of all people?

And it got worse when he noticed the way _Sephiroth _watched _him_. Intent, watchful, contemplating. Burning, at times. Calculating at others but following him all the time. Weeks, even months of this evasive observing continued without Sephiroth making any advances or retreats, always maintaining the same maddening cautious distance. Cloud understood it. Maybe understood it even better than the man itself. Sephiroth wasn't one to be indecisive but he could be extremely cautious in unfamiliar circumstances (if it didn't involve war in some way); gathering information before choosing how to act. The art of initiating human relationships was one such uncertain thing for him, that was clear of all Cloud knew about him. All the same, he wasn't the most adept person either when dealing with others, and this situation simply frayed his nerves.

And Cloud wasn't one to take frustration well. At least not if it involved Sephiroth.

So when the next time they sparred and that same look appeared in Sephiroth's eyes - intense, cautious, _yearning _\- Cloud literally felt something snap inside him.

A sudden seriousness gave him the boost he needed, and maybe Sephiroth still wasn't completely prepared to face someone potentially stronger than him. Cloud got the upper hand of their fight with a quick maneuver and managed to knock Sephiroth off balance straight onto the floor. In an instant he knelt over him, immobilizing him while the man was still surprised by the sudden change of Cloud's behavior. He stabbed the remade Fusion Sword (this time it was regular steel instead of the remains of the Weapon) into the ground next to Sephiroth's head and grabbed him by the collar of his coat. He glared at the man for a moment, the irritation clear by the set of his brows, by the blue of his eyes darkening to a deeper shade; then he leaned down and kissed him. It was more teeth than romance; hard, furious, and heated.

"With you," Cloud's voice was thick with hardly identifiable emotions, "I've learned to take the initiative. Attack before you can." The breath hissed in his throat. "Don't mess with me, Sephiroth. I know you better than you yourself."

Cloud stood up still frowning, and stormed out of the training room, leaving even his sword and an utterly bewildered Sephiroth behind. He rose up to his elbows, staring at the door where Cloud had left like a passing storm. He remained there for a considerable amount of time before falling back onto his back with a small sigh. He had to admit to himself, never in his life he felt more baffled than when trying to deal with Cloud Strife.


	2. Then, Take a Step Forward

**Mature content warning - explicit sex scene! Enjoy the read :)**

**Betaed by Bjanik.**

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** 2\. Then, Take a Step Forward**

While the soft but steady knock on his door was far from being unexpected, it wasn't something he awaited either. Cloud sat up from where he lay sprawled on his bed and glowered menacingly at the direction of the door, rather hoping the presence he felt behind it would vanish and leave him alone. At the same time he knew it was cowardice on his part; after this afternoon he couldn't just run and hide. Not that he could have hidden from Sephiroth anyway, with their connection by the J-cells, but he had promised once he wouldn't run away again. And he owed Sephiroth at least that much after practically assaulting him.

Not that his irritation wasn't legitimate, but still.

He rose from the bed, not bothering to turn the lights on or searching for slippers, the cold from the tiles being only a minor annoyance in face of some major ones.

The knock didn't repeat but he knew Sephiroth stood out there, waiting for him to open the door. He sighed; it was inevitable. Steeling himself against the urge to really, really just pretend to be asleep, he reached for the doorknob and opened it. He didn't step aside, though. In front of him, as expected, stood Sephiroth, dressed in his usual after-work style – changing his long leather coat to a black shirt - with a politely neutral expression. And the Fusion Sword held casually in one hand, point down, the handle offered for Cloud to take it. Cloud couldn't help but stare at the contrast of the heavy weapon to the ungloved hand, the expression of muscles on that long forearm under flawless, pale skin, the involuntary display of strength simply by the way he held that monster of a sword - easy, steady, without the slightest tremor of muscles. Just like Cloud did. He always knew Sephiroth's strength, had learned it in merciless life-or-death battles _before_, and in this timeline too. But just seeing it in a peaceful setting… it made him think something like the beauty of it.

He frowned.

Sephiroth still stood there, no sign of impatience on his face or posture, but behind the guarded neutrality of his eyes Cloud perceived the usual, intent watchfulness. He sighed, took the handle and turned away, looking about for a handy place to set his sword. Its normal home was in his bedroom, never more than an arm's length away, but... yeah. Not going in there. After a moment, he shrugged and leaned it against the wall.

"Thanks," he murmured. He didn't turn back.

"May I come in?" Sephiroth's voice held the same polite, neutral tone as his whole appearance. Still, it felt like a deep, dark wave rolling against Cloud. He shivered, then nodded, his back still to Sephiroth who silently stepped into the small apartment and closed the door behind him. Dim greyness enveloped the room as the lights from the corridor were shut out, the closed curtains effectively blocking most of the night-time glow of Midgar.

Then Cloud finally turned to Sephiroth. They didn't speak, just stood there face to face, a step away from each other, watching, waiting. Maybe for the other to take that step? Cloud didn't know. He felt himself still frowning, mute, unable to move, with tense muscles, coiled as an animal in hostile territory. He watched Sephiroth, his elegant posture - always looking like a cat ready for a lunge - his carefully kept distance, his intent, searching gaze. His fine features, the line of his jaw, thin lips curving slightly even when not smiling, the perfect shape of his nose, eyebrows arching up to emphasize those strange cat-like eyes with their oh-so human expression of _want_.

He couldn't tell which of them broke their stalemate but suddenly they were close, closer still, pressed up to each other, all warm, wet lips and tongues sliding and tasting and invading each other, the heat engulfing them and rising steadily. Their hands searched for purchase wherever they could, grabbing shoulders and neck, entwining in long silky trails of hair, cupping and caressing cheeks. They didn't break apart even for taking hard, panting breaths, but rather inhaled the heavy, hot air from each other's mouth, their scents mixing together and filling his mind with a strange combination of dizziness and intent focus.

Cloud found himself pressed against the wall, strong, long hands roaming his body. He was acutely aware of every open palmed caress, every single touch of those calloused fingers, every nib and lick and bite, every taste and texture of Sephiroth's mouth, the flexing of muscles under his own hands, the heat of their bodies, the feeling of their erections pressing together, the slow, involuntary rolling of their hips to get more friction, more sensation out of the contact.

Suddenly their clothes were very much in the way and they hurried to be rid of them. They brushed away shirts to reach more skin, fumbled with pants buttons while their mouths were trailing wet paths from necks to nipples, biting dark patterns into the sensitive flesh of shoulders. Cloud hissed when his straining erection was finally freed from the confines of his shorts; a sharp intake of breath turning into a low moan when long fingers encircled the hard, hot flesh. He ran one of his hands through Sephiroth's hair, grabbing a fistful and yanking him forward for another kiss while the other trailed down over hard, defined muscles and silky smooth skin until reaching his long, erect member. He squeezed; Sephiroth let out a deep rumbling groan and reached out to caress Cloud's tense sac with smooth fingertips while his thumb remained at the base of Cloud's cock, massaging it. Cloud breathed a little muffled noise into Sephiroth's mouth and his knees buckled with the sudden onslaught of sensations. They slowly slid down to the floor, sitting with entangled limbs, all the while maintaining the rhythmic movements of their hands. They both felt it wouldn't last much longer; this frantic want, _need_ demanded fulfillment, and it demanded it _soon_. The breath came to them in quick, harsh gasps. They leaned onto each other, brow touching brow, hands clutching hair and caressing the fine strands at the back of their neck, while their other hands circled and massaged, squeezed and caressed. Cloud felt the heat inside him rise steadily until finally it peaked into pure white light in his mind, filling him up to the point of breaking then releasing with such a rapture that it left him gasping for air. He felt through the haze of fulfillment Sephiroth following him straight into release. They remained there, entangled for long minutes, sitting on the floor, not heeding the cold in the least, still softly caressing flagging members. Trembling fingers clutched at the back of their necks, pressing their foreheads together while aftershocks of pleasure ran through them with small shudders and the tiniest moaning sounds escaped their parted lips.

Grasping hands turned to gentle, absentminded caresses while their breathing evened out. Cloud leaned his head on a slightly sweaty shoulder, sighing softly, inhaling the smell of the man. One of his hands trailed light patterns on Sephiroth's side, over finely toned muscles and vertebrae while his other hand moved to Sephiroth's face, caressing it and carding through mussed up hair in turn. He felt the same touch on the back of his head and neck, somewhere between idly stroking and slightly trembling – in exhaustion? In awe?

Cloud felt that maybe he should be confused or embarrassed, but couldn't find any trace of either in himself. Even though he had the strong tendency to overthink and second-guess; even though he just had a sexual encounter with _Sephiroth_ _of all people_; even though he spent the last few months strung up over it – he felt nothing but rightness. He felt calm, relaxed and quite satisfied; even upbeat. It all felt natural, Sephiroth's touch, his smell, his body slightly heating up the air between them, his presence. It felt _good_.

Semen drying on his thighs not so much.

With a soft sigh he untangled from the embrace of long limbs and long hair and stood up fluidly. He stretched his back a bit, enjoying the flow of strength in his muscles. He reached a hand down to Sephiroth, who sat with his back leaning against the wall, and helped him up. Sephiroth looked down at him, as if contemplating some question, but Cloud couldn't bring himself to worry about that. He looked back with clear, unwavering eyes, maybe with a hint of smile too. He reached up, kissed Sephiroth with an echo of the previous flames until the unsure look of the man's eyes turned relaxed, then proceeded toward the bathroom to clean up.

Refreshed and clean, dressed in clean pants and shirt, Cloud wondered what was supposed to be the next step. It was lucky they didn't dirty Sephiroth's clothes; he wouldn't have anything that would fit the man. He looked around his small, standard apartment, hunting for any hint what to do or say, eyes sweeping past Sephiroth who stood near the kitchen door, looking around as if still a bit lost. At least Cloud could decode this body language as unsure and curious; when comfortable, the man usually leaned back at a wall (or desk) with his arms crossed. And with a bit less blank expression. As much of an amusement as it was to Cloud to see Sephiroth flustered, he started to get a bit self-conscious himself. He needed distraction, and needed it soon. Right, the kitchen door.

"Coffee?"

Green eyes snapped to attention, focused more intently on him than that simple question should account for. Cloud looked back, unwavering, the relaxed feeling of rightness still pervading him.

"Tea, if I may," Sephiroth answered, and Cloud fought back the urge to chuckle at the man's formality. Even more formal than usual. A small, wicked part of him found immense amusement in Sephiroth's reaction. Maybe he should try to tease him more. In the end he decided against it, and gave Sephiroth his tea with just a smile. An easy, companionable silence settled between them as they sipped their drinks. It was not much different from their weekly time with their friends, or rather, without Zack or Genesis present, it _was_ significantly more silent. They sat at the table as if it were the most natural thing, and Cloud couldn't even bring himself to wonder too much about it.

He didn't remember feeling this much at peace for a long time, nowhere besides at Aerith's church. He smiled at Sephiroth through his mug, just his eyes lightening up, but Sephiroth caught it all the same. His eyes, always a bit hard to read with his cat-like pupils, reflected the same contentment Cloud felt.

After a while Sephiroth stood up, and excused himself for the night. Cloud saw him to the door, slightly relieved that Sephiroth didn't plan to stay the night – regardless of what passed between them, sharing his sleep wasn't something Cloud felt himself ready for. It was Sephiroth who leaned in for a kiss now, and Cloud felt the aftertaste of green tea for long after in his mouth.


	3. Step Back to the Wall

**AN**: Yay a chapter! Still betaed by Bjanik whose patience with my utter ignorance of past perfect is admirable. Btw from now on most of the chapters will contain ecplicit scenes aka smut. This included.

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**3\. Step Back to the Wall**

Cloud woke up with rested muscles and a stone in his stomach. The relaxed feeling of rightness from last night was nowhere in sight; actually Cloud felt somewhat detached from the whole event, as if looking back to a clear but unrealistic dream. He sat up with a sigh, hands running through sleep-mussed hair and stopping to support his forehead with his elbows propped on his knees.

It was wrong to regret this, he knew for sure. All the times he ran away before, all his former failures and recent absolutions that made him into what he was now told him that regretting it after how he acted, how he felt the day before, was treason. It was unworthy of him, and of Sephiroth too.

So he didn't regret it, but… but he felt disconcerted all the same. He had slept with Sephiroth. Or more precisely had sex with him. He had enjoyed it. Gotten completely lost in the sensations, letting go of every rational thought, caution, memory; he just let himself loose without a second thought.

Maybe that was what bothered him the most, that he couldn't exactly tell how the whole thing had happened through his strangely distant-but-clear memories. It didn't feel like he was truly the one who did it even though he could clearly remember the taste of Sephiroth's saliva in his mouth. He recalled the lust, the pleasure, but they all felt like alien emotions to him in the half-light of the morning. A sudden nausea rippled through him at the thought, and a cold sweat chilled his fingers.

It wasn't just regretting an instinct-drunk one night stand in the morning; he slept with _Sephiroth_.

The thought threatened to flood him with all those primal reactions he knew weren't appropriate in the current situation, not anymore. He drew a deep breath, and counted to six before releasing, repeating over and over again until his heartbeat slowed down. It was a common loose night driven by physical attraction and lust, not by any kind of nonexistent hold that might be upon him.

There was no reason to panic.

Cloud stayed like that in his bed, eyes closed and breath steady, until he could feel himself cementing that sentence into his mind, banishing any other thought into an inconsequential, tiny itch in his guts, easily ignored with long practice.

Then he got up to get ready for the day.

His daily routine didn't deviate from usual, neither his training simulation or practicing with Kunsel, nor the lazy afternoon spent with Zack listening to his complaints about how few missions there were to take. Everything went normally until he ran into Sephiroth for the first time that day. It was an innocent enough affair; even without assuming any intention on Sephiroth's part, they were more than likely to meet as their routine made them cross paths all the time. Still, his stomach clenched and heart jumped in his chest as the man passed him in the corridors to the cafeteria, politely saying hello with a small upward tilt of his lips, gaze steady and _comfortable _and _lighting up_ -

Maybe he should have used his extra Sephiroth-sense to avoid the man; the thought flitted through Cloud's mind before shooing it off. No running away, he reminded himself as he forced a mumbled "hi" from his lips. He couldn't help but turning slightly away, tension straining in his shoulders. He wanted to face Sephiroth head on, he just _couldn't_. Cloud hadn't felt this way since after the Nibelheim of this time.

He didn't want to run away, but he couldn't stay either, not yet, he needed to get away and think it through first, to calm down and decide what to do next. He muttered a half-audible sorry, turning his head away, and walked past Sephiroth. He felt eyes boring into his back until the elevator doors closed behind him.

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Sephiroth considered himself a patient man. The main exception so far was without doubt Cloud Strife and his inexplicable contradictory behaviour. Setting aside the fact that his clear avoidance of him in the recent days was lacking any reason or logic, it was getting rather insulting.

Therefore it wasn't surprising that on the third day in a row when Cloud refused to even look directly at him his frustration reached break level.

Cloud was forced to admit at last to himself he was indeed running away, and as clearly as he knew that it never gave any solution to his problems, he couldn't bring himself to confront his long-time ghosts once again. Three days of contemplation, and he wasn't any closer to a resolve than before; if possible he was all the more confused. He was tired of being bruised and battered, being afraid and on guard all the time, but he couldn't leave behind his worries with a shrug. It was like running in circles, encountering the same walls again and again.

"Cloud."

The calm, serious voice nearly made Cloud jump out of his skin with fright. He was lost so deep in his thoughts that didn't even realize Sephiroth standing right behind him. He took a deep breath, trying to steady his racing pulse, then turned to Sephiroth, his gazed focused somewhere below the man's ear. Sephiroth stood there for a while, apparently studying him, or waiting for some reaction Cloud wasn't going to give. Slow seconds ticked by.

"Follow me."

Curt, imperious words cut off their not-quite staredown. Cloud nodded, still unable to make even a noncommittal sound to break his muted silence. He followed Sephiroth into a deserted office and watched cautiously as the man closed the door behind him. He found himself backing against a wall, arms crossed in defense and denial, eyes still avoiding any contact.

He felt Sephiroth's presence all the same. Cloud tried to judge the man's emotional status without actually looking directly at him, eyes skimming over his appearance and posture. Sephiroth's body signals might have indicated annoyance. He wasn't sure; it was starting to get suffocating under the overwhelming weight of his gaze, his expectations.

What did he expect from him?

What more did he want from him? Wasn't all that Cloud did, all the struggle and suffering enough? Was he to give away himself again?

What jolted him out of his thoughts was a soft exasperated sigh coming from way too close for his comfort. Taking into account his tensely focused state, just how had Sephiroth come that close for him to miss it? Cloud, for the first time in three days, jerked his eyes to meet Sephiroth's. What he saw there made him suck in a surprised breath, muscles tensing slightly more.

Sephiroth's eyes were sane, focused, questioning. Cloud felt the room spin and his vision narrowed on the man currently studying him with rapt attention. Sephiroth propped a hand on the wall, nearly caging Cloud, though he saw a possible route to flee should things come to that. Several heartbeats passed.

"Who is the one playing now?" A soft, low question reached Cloud's ears despite the throbbing noise of his pulse. He remembered the time when he had asked the same of Sephiroth. It was confusing to remember that and _his other past_ at the same time. Cloud shook his head. His voice rasped over his answer.

"I don't want to play."

The next question followed without a pause.

"Then what _do _you want?"

With the intent focus of those green eyes boring into him, and almost imperceptibly coiled muscles, Sephiroth looked like he wanted so desperately to figure Cloud out. Like measuring up an opponent, waiting for the other to take the first step, holding all the tension in until he was ready to react. Cloud wasn't half as good bearing the tension; he never was.

"I should fear you," the words tore out of him like coughed up water.

The reaction was an immediate thing, a slight shift in the air and the pressure changing which suddenly made breathing much easier.

"Then shall I beg for forgiveness?" The words were smooth, dark, low and only a hint of frustration tainted their sincerity. Cloud took a sharp breath, his mind coming up from under muddled water, finally focusing clearly on the man before him.

"No," he answered and his voice held no trace of uncertainty.

Sephiroth studied him for a bit longer with a careful expression, then the faintest of smiles touched his eyes and made the small muscles around his lips relax as he breathed out a sigh like he had held it torturously long. He leaned close, slowly, and when their skin connected it wasn't about chasing anymore.

Cloud sighed softly, feeling his anxiety flowing out to make place for a tension of a different kind. His hands lifted up from their defensive position to grab and stroke and hold onto long silver hair and smooth strong neck. He kissed back with an abandon which made electric jolts in his core, and tugged on Sephiroth's jacket and belts while the man peeled his gloves away to roam Cloud's skin under his shirt. He felt Sephiroth's pulse racing under his fingers, soft skin and hard muscles shifting with every movement, warming up until the heat seeped into Cloud's hand and filled his veins with belonging, with the want of more. Sephiroth seemed to catch Cloud's attitude as he pressed close, rubbing their groins together, eliciting tiny noises of pleasure and impatience. His lips trailed wet lines on Cloud's neck and jaw, biting, licking, kissing the hard lines of bones and muscles tense with lust, making Cloud emit soft whimpering noises of arousal. He kissed Cloud again, fumbling with one hand on the fly of Cloud's pants, a potent fire making his movements more hurried than his usual level grace.

Then he kneeled down, kissing down the smooth, hard lines of thats exposed stomach as he lowered Cloud's pants out of his way. His hands rested on narrow hips, massaging slow circles with his thumbs as he buried his nose into the golden brown hair, then licked a long way from the base of Cloud's cock to the tip. He circled his tongue around the ridge and watched Cloud's breath hitch. He ran curious fingers along the taut skin of Cloud's shaft and was rewarded with a tremble. He closed his eyes, focusing on the sensation of the pressure of hard flesh on his lips, the texture of skin, the heat and the faint pulsing as he put more force to his suction.

Cloud was moaning. He couldn't tear his eyes away from Sephiroth, _Sephiroth kneeling down before him_, with eyes closed, expression relaxed in enjoyment. He was a wonder to behold. The shadow his long lashes cast on high cheekbones, the arch of eyebrows... Cloud suddenly found his hands idle, lost as he was in pleasure, so he reached one out to lightly touch the mass of silver hair in front of him. He ran his fingers through the strands in a slow, almost enchanted motion as he watched, both awed and nearly dizzy with lust as Sephiroth started to rub his own cock while continuing to pleasure Cloud with that sensual mouth of he opened his pants and started to stroke himself in earnest with his left hand while his right was still playing along Cloud's cock, long fingers moving in sync with his tongue, Cloud nearly came from the sight and feelings overwhelming him. He felt the pressure growing in his stomach. He gasped and moaned, hips undulating slightly and one hand still tangled in Sephiroth's hair.

In both of them the desperation to finish grew by the moment as their pulse raced and breath came in hard pants. Cloud's free hand flied up to his mouth and he bit it to muffle a scream as Sephiroth sucked hard on him while swallowing. He felt the world turn with him, his vision swam and whitened out as he came, waves after waves of pleasure crashing through him. He was hardly aware of the faint growl of completion from Sephiroth. With trembling muscles unable to hold his weight he lowered himself to the ground, breathing hard with an occasional moan escaping him as the afterwaves of pleasure zigged through his core. He watched under heavy eyelids as Sephiroth cleaned himself up with a tissue, sucking in a breath as the touch stimulated his oversensitive flesh. He finally sat beside Cloud, leaning to the wall with legs stretched out comfortable - not quite touching, but feeling each other's heat between the small space between their thighs. They sat there, comfortable without words, their breaths slowly evening out and minds finding the way back. It was Cloud who, after a while, broke the silence.

"I see a pattern developing here," he said with a sigh.

"Let's not," Sephiroth deadpanned in such a dry voice that Cloud couldn't help but laugh, the motion bumping his leg to Sephiroth's. _Yeah_, Cloud thought to himself with the past few days in mind, _let's not_.


	4. Change of pace

**4\. Change of pace**

The following months flowed in such a comfortable way that Cloud was left mildly surprised. He was used to being unsettled, and the last time life seemed to stabilize around him the accident with the time materia had happened. There was a tiny voice, a mixture of vague curiosity and fear, still present deep in his mind, resurfacing from time to time, wondering if he truly relaxed, would another crisis happen just to mess his life up over again?

He supposed he'd never _not_ worry about something or other, but it was too easy to be content with his life as it was, including the frequent encounters with Sephiroth - both the sparring and the sex, though truth be said their sparring sessions had the tendency to evolve into the latter.

They had grown comfortable with each other's presence and with their respective unique communication styles. They even had gotten used to sleeping in the same bed. It had occurred first as simple happenstance, namely falling dead asleep after sex at the end of a long day, but they soon found it wasn't half as embarrassing or unsettling as they'd have imagined.

Nowadays Cloud couldn't even muster a halfhearted discomfort - just for appearance's sake - at their attraction or the acting on it. Except the occasional raised eyebrow from Genesis when they answered all the incredulous questions with _no, they weren't in love_ \- that was annoying to a considerable degree.

It was not love. He couldn't have said what it was if his life depended on it, but surely not _love_. They didn't do anything different together than with their other friends (obviously besides the sex), nothing a couple would do. No dates, no romantic moments, nothing even remotely close to what Cloud would call being in love.

It was not love and he was sure they didn't want it to be love either. For a change, things were just right as they were.

And they were rather heated at the moment.

Cloud was having a hard time gathering his thoughts, or deciding which sensation to focus on. There were so much to feel: the mixed smell of Sephiroth's hot breath, leather, and sweaty arousal; muscles shifting in an endless dance under his restless fingers; lips to find and clothes to shed. Today's spar was even more intense than usual, with Sephiroth looking at him from the beginning in a way that made heat sizzle up in Cloud's stomach. He wasn't as keen on winning as usual, more like wanting to put a closure to the session rather hurriedly. They were all over each other in the training room, barely managing to leave the room with their clothes intact to head for the nearest bedroom.

Still, that didn't mean that Cloud wanted to be _under_ Sephiroth, and even his lust-fogged mind recognized the back of his legs bumping to the bedframe.

"There's no way you'll pin me down to the bed. Nope."

He aimed for a tone leaving no room for argument but it came out rough from lust and so was less convincing.

"Hmmm." Sephiroth made a noncommittal sound while licking and biting Cloud's neck, eliciting small, gasping breaths from the man. He slowly stroked the blond's vertebrae, his long fingers feeling out each bone, the minute change of texture of faint scars on smooth skin, stretching his hands out to cover more of the firm muscles as he slowly traveled down. He squeezed and massaged, and pressed their bodies close to feel the sizzling heat between them. Cloud let out a moan very close to a whimper when Sephiroth started drawing lazy circles on the sensitive underside of his buttocks, knowing well that touching that part could make Cloud reconsider many things. He chuckled into Cloud's neck, low and dark, voice full of amusement.

The lazily teasing, so very confident attitude that was Sephiroth's trademark had the tendency to both annoy and attract Cloud at the same time. This time was no exception. He swallowed several moans as the light caresses sent electric shivers up his spine. He would have held out more, just for stubbornness, if not for noticing the slight trembling of Sephiroth's muscles under his hands, or the way the man was pressing his hips to Cloud's in an undulating pattern. He licked his dry lips; they both wanted the same thing.

"OK, you won. For now. One of these days, you know, it'll be my turn to top."

Cloud's voice was husky with desire, his strong hands trailing everywhere around Sephiroth as if he tried to touch and map all of his textures and clear-cut forms and smooth planes. In a sudden, quick maneuver he grabbed Sephiroth's shoulders and shoved him onto the bed. He straddled those narrow hips, his thighs stretching wonderfully and making heat flare up with renewed passion where their skin met, and fiercely kissed the man under him. Wide pupilled green eyes flashed with an unrecognizable emotion - _was it challenge?_ \- as Sephiroth retaliated the sudden attack by seizing Cloud's hard cock. Blond spikes waved as Cloud dropped his head and a visible tremble shook through him. He rocked into Sephiroth skillful hand, his own fingers curling into the hard muscles of the chest beneath him more as a way to secure himself in the waves of pleasure than feeling the other. The accelerated heartbeat under his palm made a safe anchor to the present.

Sephiroth was doing what he loved – making Cloud forget himself in pleasure, watching the way the rapturous extasy erased the lines of cold hardness from Cloud's face. A triumphant little smirk crept over his face as his sure fingers played Cloud by the rhythm of a well-known music.

Catching that smug little smile, Cloud's eyes narrowed dangerously. _Two can play that game_, he thought, and positioned himself a bit higher on the man's lap and pushed down, rubbing his cock hard to Sephiroth's. Now it was his turn to moan. A strong hand flew to grab Cloud's hips while long fingers firmly massaged his length in rhythm with his undulating movements. Soon, all thoughts about control and dominance were forgotten between panting breaths, hands gripping slick and sweaty flesh, the heat, the connection.

_It's not love_, Cloud thought as Sephiroth stretched him with two, then three fingers, brushing against his prostate again and again until Cloud saw stars and barely could hold himself from blowing apart. They were comrades, sparring partners, equals and rivals in fights, and friends. All of which had never seemed possible to him. And there was the _need_, heating them, coercing them to touch, to bind, to connect on many levels. Maybe it was the cells, maybe it was chemistry. Anyway it was pure want, and neither of them played it down when it surfaced, neither of them lied.

_It's not love_, Cloud thought as he lowered himself, moaning at the feeling of being filled, throbbing, the heat rising steadily to flaring, consuming flames.

_It's not love_, he thought as he rode Sephiroth, both of them dissolving into pleasure, _but it's close enough_.


End file.
